Humans were strange creatures. Though Alec had noticed and spoke about his dents, he had never even mentioned the dislocation of his own arm once. Sideswipe had only noticed it due to his wincing when it accidentally made contact with his door.
"Is your arm injured?"
Alec jumped slightly, hand falling from under his chin at the sound of his voice. He was probably falling into recharge- sleep, he corrected.
"It's probably dislocated, but it's fine. I'll call a doctor in the morning." He yawned, his brown hair falling into his eyes. He was almost asleep again when Sideswipe pulled into his driveway. The gates opened automatically as his face was scanned by the security camera.
Optimus' form was parked on the curb, he noticed, likely because the entrance wasn't wide enough for him to enter. Ratchet had managed to squeeze through the small gate, he realised with dread, and was waiting in the driveway along with an unhappy Lennox.
"Why in the pit didn't you call for backup? I just pounded those out! And how in the name of Primus did Barricade manage to lose you in-" Ratchet cut himself off, his holoform dissipating and reappearing beside him. Sideswipe opened his door and let Ratchet practically drag Alec out. The human boy blinked sleepily. "How did this happen?" Ratchet asked furiously to no one in particular, his doctor face overtaking his 'I'm-going-to-murder-you face'. He pointed to a very visible puprle blotch on Alec's shoulder. Sideswipe looked away fro the injury. Sideswipe was glad that they weren't at medbay; if they had've been, a wrench or two would've been thrown by now.
Alec unlocked the door as Ratchet pestered him with questions. Sideswipe held the door open, letting Prime, Ratchet and Lennox in before locking it. Prime was silent and therefore, impossible to decipher and Lennox was hiding his own displeasure beneath a trained military veneer. Ratchet however, was still boiling quite visibly.
As he set Alec's shoulder with gauze and and bandages, he chastised SIdeswipe. "How you could let a human get hurt this badly in five minutes is beyond me. Not to mention you failed at your mission. Barricade is still out there and managed to meet your partner. This-" He paused to check on Alec, who was falling back asleep because of the pain pills Ratchet had forced on him.
Prime stopped talking to Lennox, leaving the military man to rouse Alec for his debriefing as the Autobot leader led Sideswipe into an adjoining room. Sideswipe focused his gaze on his right shoulder, as familiar as it was;His holoform still hadn't been changed from when it was first uploaded. He had the same middle-aged, harmless white guy appearance as he always did. The same jet black hair and blue eyes. The same plaid trucker shirt. Somehow, it still worked, not seeming stale like Sideswipe's sometimes did; Sideswipe had changed his nearly twelve times already.
Stopping in what appeared to be an office, Prime closed the door and sat down in the owner's chair. Having no choice, SIdeswipe sat down in the remaining one.
"Normally, I would wait until we returned back to base, but I believe that you should hear this now. You failed your mission, which was exceedingly simply: keep an eye on Alec and call for support when you found Barricade." The words were emotionless, the same tone that Prime used for talking to Galloway. Sideswipe knew to expect something bad when he used the tone. "Alec has a dislocated shoulder that should not have happened. Barricade escaped, with the knowledge that you were being helped by a human civilian operative. Both could've been prevented if you had simply done what was assigned to you."
Sideswipe was finding it increasingly hard to look him in the eye, even if these were just holoforms. Prime's gaze was disconcerting if you were on the wrong end of it.
"Your punishment is simple, as well as being extremely important if you want to continue the search for Sunstreaker." At the mention of his brother's name, Sideswipe met his eyes. He couldn't read them, but even he understood the threat in his words. "The current mission will be prolonged, as several Cybertronians, Autobot, Decepticon and unidentified alike, have been caught racing and it is important that we deal with them in whatever way needed. You will also be providing protection to Alec during these missions."
This wouldn't be too bad To be honest, he probably wouldn't have minded (much) if his brother wasn't still missing, with his only chance of being found on the line.
"But Prime," He forced the title out between gritted teeth. "Sunstreaker is still-"
"AWOL but alive, as evidenced by you. Currently, we have very little to go on about his whereabouts but as we can see, he's still alive.." He tone softened now, as he reached across the table to place a hand on his shoulder. "I know that you want to look for him; I know how you wish that we could send out more search parties. However, it's not safe and you know that. Shockwave is after you and there's no need for unnecessary risks. I promise you that Red Alert and Inferno are still tracking him, but I can't promise that I'll continue to make them risk their lives if you don't do your duty here."
Sideswipe nodded, biting his tongue; What he wanted to say would only make things a lot worse. He had no choice but to do as Prime said. The only he could get out of this order would be to leave, which would be treason. That would leave him hunted by both Autobots and Decepticons, and would force him to leave those who were basically his family. Forcing his snarl to behave into an emotionless line, he nodded.
"Yes, Prime."
Prime nodded, and dissolved his form. Sideswipe could hear him driving away a few minutes later. The living room was quiet again.
He dissipated as soon as he was sure that Alec wouldn't come looking for him. It felt better to be fully in his own form, even if it was harder to communicate with humans like Alec. Besides that, his real body could give him the speed and freedom that he craved. It was the only real way to fill the void of his twin's missing bond.
It was all he could do right now; he couldn't go back to base. All he could do was growl to himself, because no one was listening and no one cared. Optimus was a great mech; he had saved many innocent lives, had helped a good majority stay alive in the war for millennia and had managed to defeat the Decepticons time and time again. That much of a burden had made him very aloof to all but his closest troops; he knew Optimus would only be able to see what was best for the Autobots as a whole, instead of-
Alec tapped his side window lightly. His holoform formed beside him, tense stance and dark glasses mimicking his emotions.
"Hey."
"Hey."
Sideswipe could literally hear the crickets chirping in their awkward silence. He desperately wanted Alec to speak first because he knew that his anger would make him say something stupid; the only time that that skill had worked in his favor was in battle. Alec shifted nervously, his mouth opening and closing like he was malfunctioning.
"Do you mind going for a drive?" Alec finally managed.
"Why can't you drive yourself?" Sideswipe asked, more curious than annoyed.
Alec's face shifted into slight anger. "Lennox said that I can't go anywhere by myself anymore. I feel like I'm in fucking kindergarten again." He muttered, shoving his unhurt arm into his pocket. "Can't even go to the store by myself."
Sideswipe shook his head as he opened his passenger door. "I guess we've both got a short leash."
OoOo
Alec wasn't particularly ugly for a human, nor was he afraid or rude towards him like some of the NEST soldiers were. It had Sideswipe thinking….if Alec was a Cybertronian, he would have been attractive. He shook away the thought; it was inappropriate at the very least, disturbing at the most. Humans simply weren't appropriate for interspecies relationships like others were.
Sideswipe turned onto a two-way highway, the asphalt changing to the smoothness of the highway beneath his wheels. The night stretched on above him, the sky endless.
"Do you like what you do?"
Alec did not look away from the window as he spoke, but Sideswipe could still hear the quiet intensity of his voice. Sideswipe didn't hesitate to answer. "It's all I know." And it was true. He had grown up in the arena, had learned that to fight was to live and the war was just an extension of that lesson.
They were silent as Sideswipe turned, taking them down a road that would lead back to Alec's house. As Sideswipe pulled into the driveway, he looked at him. Alec's hair was falling into his eyes, visible knots in it as the edges touched. Sideswipe wondered why human hair tangled when his own stayed perfect. It was a flaw of the current holoform; it could only mirror the most essential human qualities to make them seem more realistic.
Finally, he spoke. "Why are you so calm, through all that you've been through?"
Sideswipe could see his lazy smile on his reflection. "Because I don't fear death anymore. From what I gather, you're pretty old, right? I mean, to travel so far from your planet to ours, you'd have to have a much longer lifetime and, well, you're obviously not organic. You'll outlive me, and you've outlived several species here. It just doesn't seem so bad when you put it all in perspective."
Sideswipe supposed that Alec was right. He would live for a hundred years or less, and that was barely three years on Cybertron. Another reason why NEST was against interspecies relationships, though it certainly didn't stop anyone.
He opened his door, and Alec stepped out, wiping a smudge off of his window with his sleeve. As Alec walked into the house, Sideswipe behind him, he considered his oath. It required him to protect him, for however much longer that he would live; although he didn't expect it to be a long time, he would protect the young man until he was no longer able to.
OoOoOo
The next day Alec had to go to work. Sideswipe had to go with him, so while Alec obviously would've preferred to drive one of his admittedly nice cars, it made more sense for Sideswipe to simply drive him there. With a coffee in hand, Alec stepped in carefully; he didn't even seem surprised when Sideswipe's holoform appeared beside him, though he had given no warning.
How in the pit did he get used to this so quickly? He could teach NEST recruits on it, as most of them were still getting used to their real forms, and their holoforms were just another weird alien thing for them to acclimate to. Alec was already at home with him.
"It's on the corner of Spindle and Ren boulevard. Do you know how to get there?" Alec asked. He certainly seemed different today. It was likely the coffee. Humans seemed to need it as Cybertronians needed energon.
After entering the address into the human internet and using the data it returned, he knew where to go and how long it would take to get there by the nanosecond. His holoform shook its head, his hair tickling his neck. He wondered if it felt the same for humans, if the system had translated that feeling correctly. It was a useless thought; they could never know.
They rode the rest of the way in companionable silence. Sideswipe snorted as he read the shop's name. 'Robo-tastic car fixin's'.
"Are you sure you can do physical work like this with your arm all broken?" Sideswipe had no idea why he'd even asked. If anything he should be pissed at Alec for keeping him away from the hunt for his brother. He sighed. Why bother? He was just as trapped by the circumstances as he was. He could only be mad at Prime about what happened.
Alec stared determinedly at the glove department. "Yeah. It's fine." And then disappeared into the garage, calling back to be picked up at four.
::Doc-bot~:: Sideswipe sung. He had called over his private comms. Ratchet hated that, but it was the only sure way to make him answer.
::What do you want, you rusting pile of scrap?:: Ratchet grumbled. He'd probably just woken up from recharge. Not the best time to be calling, but he didn't really know who else to ask.
::Should Alec be working using his arm today?::
::Of course not. Did you let him?::
::No.:: He lied.
He cut himself off abruptly to mimic a dropped line and Ratchet did not comm back.
Sideswipe chuckled at Alec's lie. He had hidden his bandages under a long sleeved flannel, and had taken a bunch of little white pills that morning. Sideswipe doubted that his employer would notice anything, which meant that if he wanted Alec to stop, he'd have to say something himself.
Sideswipe parked himself in an empty spot behind the building and widened the range of his holoform. He appeared in the shadows of the far side of the parking lot and walked into the garage like he was supposed to be there. Alec was inside, underneath a car with a huge dent in the side.
"You aren't supposed to be doing this today, are you?"
Alec sat up quickly, banging his head on it's underbelly. He laid back down and rolled from under it. His face and forearms were covered in grease, and the beginnings of a bruise showed on his forehead.
He rubbed his forehead and tried to avert his gaze, which kept returning to meet Sideswipe's own as if his eyes were a magnet and Alec was a paperclip. "Not really, but um...I've been gone from work for the week and my vacation time is over. I have to come in, because for one," Alec's voice dropped to just above a whisper. "It's a front for my racing money and two, I get paid in parts that I need." Alec crossed his arms stubbornly.
Sideswipe raised a brow. "Yes, yes. Important and all that, but why should I keep this from Ratchet, hmm? He'll definitely be displeased to hear of this." As soon as he mentioned Ratchet, Alec frowned; he was right in guessing that Alec didn't like his way of caring for patients.
Sideswipe laughed. "Don't worry about it. But you better not hurt yourself; it looks bad on the both of us."
Alec relaxed slightly and rolled back under. "I could just go to a hospital if I get hurt. Ya know, 'cause it's easier than calling an alien doctor from an undisclosed military base. "
Sideswipe ignored him and sat down on the hood of the car. It creaked beneath his weight. "True but….it's a lot more fun to watch Ratchet chew you out."
"Since you're not doing anything useful, could you pass me the phillips head?" Alec scooted out enough for his hand to poke out from under the end of the car.
Sideswipe handed it to him.
Alec continued working.
The sun seemed to fall too fast as they talked about random things. Home, and family and life itself. Sideswipe was surprised to find that they had a common interest in something other than racing.
"You want to be a pilot?" Sideswipe's holoform raised a brow and uncrossed his arms as Alec scooted from under the car. Throughout the course of the day, his face and arms had slowly accumulated more and more grease and dirt and dust. He was absolutely filthy. Sideswipe winced at the thought of having him sit inside him
"Yeah. It's one step above racing, I guess. And I've always loved the view." He stood up and rubbed the majority of the grime away with a rag. "I'm done Jim." Alec called into the side office.
"Alright." Jim answered back the office.
Sideswipe walked to the side of the building and disappeared, reforming in the driver's seat. Pulling up in front of the shop, he opened his door, surprised to see that Alec had changed shirts. Although Alec was walking towards him at an admirable speed, he wasn't walking fast enough to not hear Jim yell, "You're boyfriend bein' here better not have messed up your work."
"He didn't, Jim." Alec yelled back, his red face a contradiction to his confident tone. Slamming his door shut, he hissed, "Drive."
They drove away, ignoring the curious stares of the shop owner.
"Well that hurt." Sideswipe said teasingly.
"No it didn't, it was barely a slam."
"Mmhmm. Sure it was. Anyways, do you wanna go for a drive?" He offered. After being still the whole day, he wanted to stretch his wheels and feel the wind over his hood.
"Yeah. Sure." Alec said, running his fingers over the leather stitching of his seats. Primus, he felt so cold.
He liked it.
The whole week was like that. Working and talking and then going for a long drive on the outskirts of the city, where the highway was nearly empty. Sideswipe honestly should've known that it wouldn't last. The same route everytime led to an abundance of his energon signiture going up and down the stretch. Coupled with Alec's face, it was a mystery that they hadn't been found sooner.
"You see them too, right?" Alec asked, looking behind them at the twin purple cars. They drove down both lanes of the two way highway; if today had've been busier, there would have been a lot of car accidents.
Sideswipe nodded, his hair swaying into his eyes.
"Bet we can lose 'em before back-up gets here."
Alec snorted. "Sure you can."
Sideswipe smirked at the challenge and sped up. The highway began to blur, and the small potholes and cracks became indistinguishable from smooth concrete. All was going well until a purple jet landed in the road 200 meters in front of them. It was a split decision; stop, or attempt to go around. The greatest chance of Alec escaping unharmed came with stopping. So he stopped.
Skidding to a stop in front of the jet, the two twin cars pulled up behind them, guns from their hoods, aimed at them and ready to fire.
"Scrap."
OoOo
The two cars were almost identical, except for their scratches. They both had an emblem on them, where the manufacturer's should've been. That was all Alec had time to notice before they fired.
The blast was too fast for him to study in detail. All Alec noticed was a bright flash and then the pain. Even though it technically had hit Sides' and not him, he could feel the shock-like pain which eventually faded into burning.
Sideswipe's voice was tight and low. Alec looked over at his holoform, the man's expression frozen before it fizzled away into static."I'm going to open the door and when I do, you run. Run as deep as you can into the forest; I'll find you."
The cars fired again, all three at once. The shot flowed through them both like a wave pushing through water. Alec's arm was numb, the rest of his body was being roasted in a fire so hot, it could've been the sun.
"Go!" Sideswipe yelled, his voice louder and rougher with the intensity of his pain. The door beside Alec flew open and then shots fired again, this time from Sideswipe as he provided cover fire.
It took so much effort to move his log like legs out of the seat and onto the road. But Alec was determined to live, to make it out alive from whoever was trying to kill them. He stumbled onto the asphalt, and nearly fell into the bushes as he dashed into the greenery on the roadside. He could hear the sound of transforming from the road and could feel footsteps behind him; So, Alec pushed himself off of the pine straw and ran, ran until his legs gave out from beneath him and the sky faded into blackness.
OoOoO
Alec rarely remembered his mother; after all, it had been so long since she had died. But as he lay in the soft grass, her memory came to mind. A soft caring woman, with light brown hair like chocolate. It took him years to realise that hair like that wasn't normal for asian women. She had sung to him as a child as his father was out in the streets, working hard so that they'd move out from the old one bedroom apartment. Her voice was soft and melodic, her words now so blurred that he couldn't remember them.
"Primus, he looks like crap." Sideswipe mumbled. Alec strained to lift his head up, meeting his eyes. He looked like crap himself. He held his left arm in his right, the wound leaking blue onto the ground. There were several dents on his leg and chest and a part of his doorwing was crushed.
"I'm not as crappy as you." Alec replied, surprised at how hoarse his throat was. He swallowed, his throat thick. He hadn't noticed until then how hard it was feeling to breathe.
Sideswipe laughed. "Sure, but you're not the one who's looking at you." Alec's throat ached at the mere thought of replying, so he said nothing. The sky above him was dark, the moon high. The light reflected on Sideswipe's armor and god he looked so damn beautiful. His mind was buzzing and fuck it all becuase everything hurt. Fucking hot alien robots.
"Great. Now he's going into shock." He said, sitting down in the small clearing- when did he get into a clearing?- with a thump. Alec's eyes drifted closed.
"No! No! Ratchet said you can't sleep. He's almost here." Alec's eyes snapped open. Why was he so loud?
"I'm not loud Alec, I'm whispering." When had Alec said that out loud?
"You've been talking out loud the whole time." Before Alec could reply, Ratchet stumbled into view, giant oaks and pines tumbling around him. Optimus Prime and another black bot pushed through behind him. His limbs felt like cotton, Alec thought confusedly as his eyes fell shut.
